Oral History and Audio-Visual Materials

About this collection

The Society's collection of nearly 9,000 interviews is available to the public at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort. Cataloged by county or by project, the interviews contain the irreplaceable recollections of Kentuckians from all walks of life. General community histories with elderly residents provide unique information on life in Kentucky during the early twentieth century, while over sixty special projects on topics such as tobacco, quilting, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Vietnam Veterans offer a more in-depth look at various aspects of Kentucky history. Interviews conducted for the award-winning Ohio River Portrait project are included in this collection and complement a series of photographs housed in the special collections department of the Kentucky Historical Society.

To discover oral history collections which have not yet been digitized, please see the KHS Library Catalog. The recordings and transcriptions of collections not yet online can be accessed in the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library at the Center for Kentucky History. If you are unable to visit in person, please email the Library Reference Desk at KHSRefdesk@ky.gov to find out more about distance reference services.